Faik Pasha Hotels, Beyoglu: doubles to 85 m² apartments

Faik Pasha Hotels Special Category Beyoglu Istanbul stands on Faikpasa Caddesi in the Cukurcuma part of Beyoglu, postcode 34425. The Museum of Innocence is about 0.1 km away in a straight line, Taksim Square about 0.7 km and Galata Tower about 0.9 km.

Further out, Sirkeci railway station is about 1.9 km away, Topkapi Palace about 2.1 km, Hagia Sophia about 2.6 km and Sultan Ahmed Mosque about 3 km, all in a straight line. Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) is about 31.3 km away.

The rooms split into two groups. The doubles are the compact end: a Standard Double Room of 23 m² with one queen bed, a Superior Double or Twin Room of 27 m² with either a double bed or two twins, and a Superior Double Room of 35 m² with one queen bed. Each of these three sleeps up to 3.

The apartments and suites are where the hotel changes character. A Large Double Room of 35 m² has four twin beds and a queen bed, so it works for a group without moving to an apartment. The Executive Suite at 52 m² has two twin beds and a queen bed. From there the sizes climb: a Duplex Apartment of 75 m² with a queen bed and a sofa bed, then three 80 m² options and an 85 m² two-bedroom apartment.

Among the 80 m² apartments, the Apartment with Terrace has two queen beds, a sofa bed and a city view; the Deluxe Apartment has two queen beds, a twin bed and a garden view; the Two-Bedroom Apartment with kitchen has two queen beds and a twin bed. The largest room is the Two-Bedroom Apartment with Balcony and Terrace at 85 m², with a queen bed, a double bed and a sofa bed, and a garden view. A couple gets a real choice between a simple double and a terrace apartment; a family or a group of friends is better served by the two-bedroom layouts.

The hotel has a spa with a hammam and a sauna and there are fitness facilities as well. For eating and drinking there is a restaurant, a snack bar and room service.

Practical extras include a business center, a lift and family rooms.

Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 11:00. Children are allowed, and the family rooms and the larger apartments make that a practical combination rather than a technicality.

Parking is paid, with accessible parking available; the hotel also has a parking garage and valet parking.

This hotel suits travellers who want apartment-scale space in Beyoglu: the two-bedroom layouts and the 75 to 85 m² sizes give a family or a group room to spread out, while couples can take a smaller double and still use the spa and hammam.

It suits a stay built around Cukurcuma, Taksim and Galata, with the Museum of Innocence essentially at the doorstep. A traveller whose days are centred on the Sultanahmet monuments should note the straight-line distances of about 2.1 to 3 km to Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and Sultan Ahmed Mosque, and weigh that against the room sizes on offer here.